gimme your greens! (and a giveaway!)

So awhile ago, the kind people at Clearly Fresh contacted me to see if I was interested in reviewing their produce storage bags. I’m a long time user of Debbie Meyer Green Bags, so I was happy to put them to the test.

I have a serious issue with being overly ambitious at the grocery store on Sundays. Kale! Chard! Brussels sprouts! Zucchini! Bell peppers! We’ll eat them all! Then as we creep towards the next weekend, or even upwards of two weeks later, I find those produce bags with questionable brown goo in them and shake my head at my naivete. Alas, I am slow to use my delicious veggies. It’s so sad to let them go to waste!

I’ve had good success with produce bags extending the shelf life long enough to minimize my veggie waste, so I happily swapped out the Green Bags for Clearly Fresh.

And what can I say- they work great! Not only do they help keep greens green and crisp, but they have a recloseable top that is priceless. You should see how many chip clips I’ve used to mangle a Green Bag closed before. I like the fact that they are also clear, so it’s easy to survey what you have in the fridge, plus there is an area to label the bag. And there are 10 bags in a bag of them, so you have plenty to go around.

Now it’s your turn to take Clearly Fresh for a test drive! Leave a comment with your favorite simple way to prepare your favorite summer vegetable. Next Tuesday I will pick a random winner to receive their own 10 pack.

Also, don’t forget that I still have a handful of lingering days left in my 20’s… leave a birthday treat idea on this post and be entered to win a copy of one of my books!

Oh my! I would love to win this. I juice at least 5 days a week so I always have tons of produce, including greens. When I have a lot of beautiful summer tomatoes from my CSA, I love making tomato sauce. I then use it on everything!! So tasty!

My favorite way to prepare summer produce is the simplest – tomatoes right off the vine, cut up and topped with basil and a light vinaigrette. I am with you – buy plenty of vegetables with good intentions, and then they get “lost” in the fridge and end up so sad that my compost is the only beneficiary!

Last year my favorite was steamed corn, carrots, and kale in garlic broth with a little sea salt. This year it has been braised green beans, braised with broth and a cut up tomato with a little garlic and oregano. I too love my veggies to bits, but am always overzealous in purchasing them for the week.

Our CSA has been summer squash heavy this year, and our home-grown tomatoes also have been abundant. We’ve lightly sauteed them in a little olive oil with fresh basil, sea salt and ground pepper and used that as a sauce over pasta.

Last week I decided I needed to pump up my protein consumption, so I cubed a block of tofu and marinated it in oil, tamari, and spices while I cut up all the vegetables in my crisper. Then I tossed it all together and roasted it to serve over brown rice as lunch this week.

I have the same problem at the farmers market…all the produce looks so fresh and beautiful, I can’t resist it, and I end up WAY overbuying. These would be a lifesaver! My favorite simple (and no heat!) way to prepare zucchini is to spiralize it into “noodles” and top with a raw tomato sauce made from tomatoes also from the farmers market, lol.

Hot Mickies. Well that’s what my mom calls them. Just Poke some holes in a few potatoes, wrap them in tinfoil, and throw them into a fire. An hour or so later, they are ready to eat and top with anything. Nothing can beat a baked potato.

My favorite way to prepare summer veggies is to lightly steam them then sprinkle with a pinch of salt. They stay crunchy and their colors become vibrant. My kids love making crunchy sounds as they bite. My hubby can’t believe our kids are happily eating veggies